The News

On October 3rd, the University of Arizona hosted the inaugural Cyber-Physical Systems Virtual Organization's VORTEX Competition, formally known as the 2016 NSF CPS Design Challenge. For two days the Tucson Internation Modelplex Park Association (TIMPA) Field became the home of the competition where four universities from across the nation gathered to compete.

This year's participants included the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Arizona. The U of A's team was lead by Dr. Jonathan Sprinkle who was joined by Matt Bunting, Richard Herriman, and Coby Allred. The challenge seemed simple, to autonomously deliver a mosquito trap using a quad-rotor drone, but in reality there was nothing further from the truth.

When the teams gathered for their first flights on October 3rd, there was not a single drone in operable condition. Whether it be hardware failure, firmware failure, or in the worst case, communication failure, each flight brought along unique and unforeseen challenges. The U of A's drone had to be rewired and reprogrammed several times before its maiden flight at the competition and several other teams ended up shorting circuits, autopilot modules, and even an Intel Nuc.

On the second day of competition things had improved dramatically and several dry runs were completed by teams in the first hours, a vast improvement over a total of zero from the first day. The first judged runs began soon after, with U of A completing the first attempt of the competition. In the end all teams were able to successfully complete both of the competition's missions before heading to a well deserved group dinner. It was a trying event, and several teams were feeling the stress until the very end, but it was an excellent opportunity for like-minded individuals to gather and discuss the future of autonomous flight and its further potential.

Below is a short video produced by the competition organizers in an effort to create a promotional piece for next year's event.